We've gotten used to seeing metal lockers repurposed for home use, school chairs, and even industrial trashcans, but here's a way to take simple schoolroom science lab furniture (such as this mobile lab demonstration cart) to create a perfect-size island in your kitchen that looks simple and modern. You can even cut a half-moon out of the bottom to add legroom for barstools, or even create a desk if you want. We also found some great lab tables that would work for dining, and cost much less than their counterparts in the home catalogs...

Poking around on school supply websites the past few days, we ran across simple Mobile Demonstration Carts on castors and love 'em. They're all maple, on industrial castors, and the cart even has a birch bottom shelf for pans, cutting boards or mixing bowls. The top is designed to withstand the rigors of science classes, so it resists stains, water and spills, and looks incredibly modern. We also found a great selection of science lab tables (the one above is only $289) that are roomy and some come with compartment storage you could use for napkins and silverware. Now if we can only shake the flashback to those fruitfly experiments gone awry...